Pollutant removal in an experimental bioretention cell situated in a northern Chinese sponge city.

To assess the viability and effectiveness of bioretention cell in enhancing rainwater resource utilization within sponge cities, this study employs field monitoring, laboratory testing, and statistical analysis to evaluate the water purification capabilities of bioretention cell. Findings indicate a marked purification impact on surface runoff, with removal efficiencies of 59.81% for suspended solids (SS), 39.01% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 37.53% for ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and 30.49% for total phosphorus (TP). The treated water largely complies with rainwater reuse guidelines and tertiary sewage discharge standards. Notably, while previous research in China has emphasized water volume control in sponge city infrastructures, less attention has been given to the qualitative aspects and field-based evaluations. This research not only fills that gap but also offers valuable insights and practical implications for bioretention cell integration into sponge city development. Moreover, the methodology and outcomes of this study serve as a benchmark for future sponge city project assessments, offering guidance to relevant authorities.

Development of a polymerase chain reaction procedure for detection and differentiation of duck and goose circovirus.

This article reports the complete nucleotide sequences of four duck circovirus (DuCV) isolates from sick ducks in Taiwan and development of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection and differentiation of goose circovirus (GoCV) and DuCV. Sequence comparison showed that Taiwanese DuCV isolates had 82.5%-83.8% nucleotide sequence identity to the German and North American DuCV isolates. This is the first report on the presence of DuCV and its associated diseases outside Germany. A PCR test was developed using a universal primer pair based on conserved sequences present in the genomes of GoCV and DuCV. This PCR test could detect and differentiate between GoCV and DuCV by the size of PCR product each virus produced (256 bp for GoCV and 228 bp for DuCV). Application of this PCR test to samples of bursa of Fabricius from sick birds in the field showed that 9 of 26 goose samples contained GoCV, while 13 of 34 duck samples contained DuCV. This PCR test could serve as a fast and sensitive method for detection and differentiation of DuCV and GoCV.